


The Troll Story

by Talonfeather (TheGryphling)



Series: Papa and 'adad [3]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Magic, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Fix- It, Gen, M/M, Multi, Other, Sansûkh Fanon, Thilbo, bagginshield, the one in which Dis finally understands
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-03
Updated: 2018-11-03
Packaged: 2019-08-17 06:39:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16511207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGryphling/pseuds/Talonfeather
Summary: The caravan is on the road, the hobbits are doing just fine walking thank-you-very-much, Bilbo has no why they're stopping until he remembers, a story is told, and Dis is her brother's sister.





	The Troll Story

**Author's Note:**

> Well yes, I am posting more of this! No, another bit might not be any sooner. I hope you enjoy this for what it is, as it was quite fun to write!

They had been on the road for a while, and Bilbo was just about getting the hang of traveling with other Hobbits. If Bilbo hadn't gone through the same thing himself not all that long ago, he might have had less patience, but he'd known this would be a rough transition for all four of the other Hobbits. His people were just not the type for long travel, even Tooks. Dis had mainly left the particulars of settling them into the largely dwarven caravan to him, although he had leaned heavily on Bombur and his wife Alrís. Since the dwarf was in change of meal times Bilbo had made him priority number one when trying to integrate his fellows into the group. If this also resulted in him avoiding Dis, well no one knew that but him now did they? 

Not that he didn't like her, he was just incredibly intimidated by her. So much rode on her good opinion of him, a good opinion he had already tarnished with his own cowardice. He would find a way to earn her respect, he'd managed it with the Company quite by accident after all. 

Anyway, Hamfast, Jolly, June, and Otto were doing their best of course, and Bilbo was doing his best to support them in turn. Luckily they were all four had a knack for finding bits of forage here or there to support the rations that went to the communal meals. It went a long way for Bomber and the other dwarves to accept them. Bombur's children also helped. 

They were fascinated by Jolly and June. Apparently dwarves never had twins. Ever. They were fascinated by the idea of two babies born in the same pregnancy. June and Jolly seemed flattered by the attention thankfully, and got along well with the dwarflings that were now glued to their sides. Otto was sticking closest to Hamfast, who never really let Bilbo out of his sight, so Bilbo had roped them into helping him get to know the other dwarves that were traveling to Erebor. Otto was particularly keen on learning what little of dwarven culture they would share, and delighted in sharing stories of the Shire with the travelers. Hamfast was markedly quieter, but Bilbo couldn't blame him. If it wasn't for such a powerful Call, Hamfast wouldn't have probably never seen the border of the Shire, much less crossed it. 

Eventually the road was starting to look particularly familiar, and Bilbo noticed a few of the dwarves shooting Bombur and Bilbo curious looks when their backs were turned. Bilbo was still trying to puzzle out the reason when the order came down that they would be camping early that night. 

"Curiouser and curiouser," Bilbo said, trading a look with an equally confused Hamfast. 

"Well I certainly won't complain!" Hamfast said with a smile, "These last miles have not been kind to my poor toes."

"Your poor toes have been toughening just fine," Bilbo said, poking his friend on the shoulder with a grin. "I am going to see what Bombur knows, however. I hope it doesn't mean trouble."

"Trouble?" Hamfast said frowning suddenly. Bilbo grimaced. 

"I'm sure it's nothing," Bilbo said, turning his friend in the direction of the back of the caravan. "Could you go and gather Otto and the children? They can help Bombur and I set up for the meal tonight."

"O-of course," Hamfast said, "But you would tell me if something dangerous was going on? I shouldn't like to be unprepared."

Bilbo blinked at the unexpected sentiment but nodded before pushing Hamfast's shoulder again lightly and walking off to find Bombur. Bilbo found the dwarf corralling those who were set to help him that evening. Bilbo also saw Dis and Orla hovering at what was slated to be the center of camp for the night. Resolving to ignore them for now, he made his way over to their chief of foods, to see how he could help. The large dwarf waved him over to help with moving around the cooking supplies, and they spent a while getting things together for the evening meal. Bilbo caught himself looking around from time to time, not quite able to get past the feeling that he had been there before. Of course they might have stopped here on the first trip to Erebor, but that wasn't quite it...

"It feels mighty odd, being back here," Bombur said as they were setting on the soup to start. Bilbo looked up at the dwarf in confusion. "Well," Bombur continued, not quite meeting Bilbo's eyes "It didn't go so well last time. Lucky enough you were here!"

At that something came together in Bilbo's mind and he peered into the trees beyond the camp. He couldn't make it out from here, but he had a feeling he now knew what would lay beyond. 

"That is one story I'm quite eager to hear," Dis said, finally moving closer now that she wasn’t needed to direct this and that.

"There's a story?" said a beautiful voice of to his side. Bilbo turned to see one of Bombur's children, Barís he thought was her name although he was still getting them all straight. She was walking up to them with several of her siblings as well as June and Jolly. 

"Well of course we'll tell the story," Bombur said, clapping Bilbo on the back, "Won't we Bilbo?"

"Yes, of course," He said, not sure why he was suddenly feeling uneasy. He was a good storyteller, he knew, but something about what had happened here would feel a little....odd to tell again. Perhaps he was unsure how to paint the events. It had been the early days of his time with the Company after all and things had still been a bit rough. For all they had become his family, they certainly hadn't even really been friendly at that point. After here, well things had changed a bit but... well that was it wasn't it. He couldn't tell the story without telling everyone just how he had felt at the time, and that was an uncomfortable idea to any Hobbit, especially a gentlehobbit such as himself. 

As they finished up supper and left those who were on cleaning rotation to watch the camp, Bilbo, Bombur, Alrís, a few of their older children, Dis, Orla, Otto, Joy, and Jolly walked into the trees. Bombur started the tale.

"We had set Fili and Kili the task of watching the ponies here..." he started, laying the foundation. Bilbo would add a detail here or there, mostly at the boy's expense. He carefully was not looking at Dis in the slightest. They walked closer to the clearing and Bilbo took up the part of the story, how he had discovered the mountain trolls, his determination to rescue the ponies, and his failure that caused the rest of the company to be captured. Here Bombur took up again, describing how they had rushed into battle for the Hobbit, how they had been forced to surrender and how things looked so hopeless. 

The group had stopped just outside the clearing, in such a way that they couldn't really see into it. 

Bilbo described his rush to think of something, anything to stall for time, not even knowing why. 

Bombur poked fun at himself and the rest of the Company for being so slow to catch on to Bilbo's quick thinking. 

The two of them, as if they had rehearsed, led the group into the clearing that now held the remains of three very unfortunate trolls, turned to stone by a wizard's good timing.

One of Bombur's children made a whooping shout and ran to inspect the now-statues. With the rest and the young Hobbits following soon after, and the two parents going to supervise, Bilbo was left standing with Dis and Orla.

"So it true," Dis said so quietly that Bilbo wasn't quite sure if she meant to say it aloud at all. 

"Well we might have been alright in the end, with Gandalf being so close by," Bilbo allowed, something he had thought about often after that night. 

"But you did go along with my foolish sons," she said, still looking intently at the stone trolls, now back light by the fading sun. "And you did try and help them fix their failure, and you did speak up when they had all given up, arguing until the end."

"I suppose I did," Bilbo said, feeling rather quiet himself. He certainly hadn't thought about it in quite that way before. Perhaps it had been something special after all. 

The group spent some time looking around the area before Dis called them all to return to the camp. Orla and Bombur were discussing plans to make sure the troll cave was revisited before they left the area, to recover what they could of the treasures that had been left behind. After the story was spread around camp, mostly by enthusiastic dwarflings and young hobbits, there was a renewed curiosity about Sting. Bilbo found himself asked to show it off a few times, much to his surprise. He hadn't expected an elvish sword to be so interesting to the other dwarves. Perhaps not all dwarves were as disdainful of all things elf as those in the company, he thought to himself. 

He wouldn't know that word had spread of just how many times the blade had been wielded on behalf of their King and kin, by a stranger no less. Dwarves didn't really forget things like that.

Sunlight the next morning saw himself, Bombur, and several others searching again for the troll's hoard. They did eventually find it again and managed to pilfer it again for anything they could use, or use to barter. There turned out to be rather a lot more than Bilbo had thought. For some reason he had imagined that some lucky bandit or highwayman would have stumbled upon it and secreted everything away. Not only was this not the case, but there seemed to be more than he had remembered. Hamfast suggested that the whole 'troll...thing', might have played tricks with his memory. Bilbo thought he might be right, but was certainly glad for their fortune. Dis seemed to be a little more at ease after the find as well. 

"In this instance I am glad to be proven wrong," Dis said to him as they helped settle the finds into chests that had apparently been brought along for this reason. Bilbo had no idea just how to respond to that, but she continued. "I was uncertain if my sons were pulling a trick on me, with their tale of trolls and a hoard. They have been known to exaggerate from time to time."

Bilbo snorted in agreement, thinking of the tall tales they had entertained the Company with on their long journey. 

"I was especially uncertain that the same creature that would risk so much for strangers, who would win my brother's heart, would be the same who would abandon them in the end," Bilbo had to look away from her long gaze. The guilt had not eased from him, and in fact kept mounting as they grew closer to those he had left behind.

"However," Dis continued, pulling him back to the present, "I find that they were correct. And I find myself starting to see just what they see in you, naddul"

Bilbo started, thinking she must have misspoke. 

"It means brother-by-oath," She said, with a ghost of a smile, "which is what you will be to me once you marry my brother."

"Wha-well," Bilbo stammered at her, looking in disbelief "He might not want me back Lady Dis."

"Trust me Master Bilbo," said said, pointedly emphasizing his title which they hadn't been using since they left the Shire. "I would not be escorting you and your fellows all the way to the mountain if my brother would not want to be close with you again."

"Oh," Bilbo said, feeling suddenly like he wanted to sit down. He hadn't really thought Thorin would want to rekindle their relationship. He had thought that perhaps there were some words left to be said between them, and maybe the King needed Bilbo to come and care for their child while he was busy ruling. Bilbo never considered, never hoped, that there was a possibility for more. 

"Not to mention," Dis continued on, appearing to all the world like she hadn't noticed how she had tumbled his worldview just then. "All of this gold will go quite a ways to paying the debts of the caravan as we go."

"The debt?" Bilbo said, latching on to the thought as a welcome distraction. The word wasn't completely unfamiliar to Bilbo, as a gentlehobbit he was more familiar than the normal hobbit in the Shire who might do most of their daily living on barter and trade. "I should think that all that gold we found in Erebor would be enough to fund a group this size?" 

"Ah," Dis said, turning to look at him, "But that gold is there, and we are not. My brother assured me that the treasure of the troll cave would cover the rest of the journey, and so we planned on thus."

"But you did not think it would actually be here," Bilbo said, catching her frown. 

"I knew my family would not lie, and Bombur is an honorable dwarf," Dis said, "But I was not certain that they did not misremember the vastness of the treasure, or that it would indeed be in a place that would be safe from some curious passer-by."

"I had the same thought!" Bilbo said lightened that he was not alone in his pessimism. 

"Indeed we seem to be a bit more alike than I'd thought," Dis said, giving Bilbo a long look. Steeling himself he met her eyes. She was truly too much like her brother. All rough edges with a warm core. "There is one thing I must ask of you on our journey to Erebor, as a favor to me and my family. Our family."

"Of course," Bilbo all but stammered, thrown for a loop once again. 

"I would ask you to spend an hour with me each evening away from your fellows," She said, gesturing to the other hobbits, "so that I might teach you the language which is the first that all dwarven children speak."

It took a moment for the request to truly sink into his mind, because Bilbo knew how important it was to all dwarves he had ever known that their language stay their own. Even Thorin had hesitated to tell Bilbo the meaning of the endearments whispered in the dark of night as their relationship deepened.

"I would be honored, Lady Dis," Bilbo said, bowing slightly to cover his entirely baffled expression.

"Hmf," was Dis' only reply as she turned and walked off. Bilbo watched her go, unsure if he was imagining the lightness in her step.

**Author's Note:**

> My mangled Khuzdul is based on the dictionary from The Dwarrow Scholar


End file.
